An Eye for an Eye
by NukaColaQueen
Summary: Vulpes Inculta finds himself owing his life to a young Followers of the Apocolypse girl, and with the way the war is going he might just find himself having to pay her back. But would a Follower even want to live in a Legion controlled world?
1. Prologue

I felt my Courier in "A Woman's Place" wasn't a good fit for Vulpes, so I wrote this. Note that the girl in here is not the Courier, I felt Id have more freedom with an OC. Anyways, thank you for reading and please enjoy! (and review! Reviews make me smile:)

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_"Damn it_" Vulpes thought as he propped himself upon the side of a large rock. His unit was on their way to New Vegas Strip when they engaged an NCR patrol. As far as he knew he was the only one left. He was wounded but managed to crawl to the rock for shade. How long had he crawled? He didn't even really remember crawling away. He looked down at the large gash in his side, he couldn't see out of his right eye, and he was pretty sure he had a few bullets in his leg too.

He couldn't die. Not yet. He still had his mission, he couldn't die until it was complete. He wasn't in any condition to move let alone complete Caesars task.

At that moment he would have fought the Legate himself for a bottle of purified water...hell, he'd fight him for poisoned water at this point. He didn't figure himself far from death, he could even swear he heard voices...

"...someone over there!"

He did hear voices! Was it the NCR? Did one of the profligate troops survive? He quickly fumbled around and found his machete. Glancing around, his vision finally cleared enough to see a shadowy figure approaching, he pointed his weapon at the figure, If he was going to die at the hands of the NCR he was going to at least make it hard for them.

The shadowy blob held its hands up "Were not here to hurt you" he heard it say. He couldn't identify the tone of the voice. Man or woman, it just sounded like a shadowy blob would sound to him. "...Please put the weapon down so we can see to your wounds", it finished.

See to his wounds? We? Was all this just a trick to get him to disarm himself? He thought it over for a moment and decided he would take the chance of trusting this blob to heal him so he could at least finish Caesars mission. The blob was probably a delusion anyway. So he, reluctantly, dropped his weapons.

The next few minutes were a blur to him. The blob was speaking to him but he wasn't really paying attention. After all, who cares what a(probably fictitious) blob has to say? He thought he could see other blobs, and even hear them speaking, even yelling, at each other.

Finally its words began to register. "Now, try and drink this" it said and pressed a bottle to his lips. He drank the water until he almost passed out from lack of breath. "good job..." the blob said softly after he finished. If he had the strength he would have struck it for talking to him like a child. It then began to speek again. "Your eye is swollen...Im going to make a small cut to let some of the blood out, okay?" He nodded his head weakly in understanding. He then felt a something soft touch his face, he vaugely remembered wondering it was, followed by a small prick around his eye. He felt what he assumed to be a rag soaking up the blood, which flowed quickly from his wound. Eventualy he could open both his eyes again althought they were currently still covered from the rag. "There, I think the bleedings stopped..." The blob said. Only this time he recognized the tone, it was soft, a womans voice. "Im going to take the rag off now and check, okay? Get ready now...the suns bright."

It could have been the heat or the fact that he was so close to death, but when Vulpes eyes finaly focused he could swear he was looking at the most beautiful woman in the world. Or at least an angel. "Hey," she said and smiled "Nice to finnaly have you with us."

"Pft!" one of her companions sneered "Like hell it is!"

The woman turned her head to her companion and shouted "Will you shut the fuck up!"

She then turned back to Vulpes and shook her head "Jesus Christ...Cant do a fucking Goddamn good deed without everybody bitching me the hell out..." she mumbled as she began cleaning his other wounds.

_'Okay, maybe not an angel' _he thought. But he was pretty sure she was beautiful nonetheless.


	2. Chapter 1

Having finally received water, Vupes started to think clearly. He slowly and deliberately started to take in his surroundings.

First, his location, he noticed no landmarks and no trace of the battle that killed the rest of his unit.

Next, the girl and her companions. Her companion's were armored and carried a decent amount of weaponry, they were most likely mercenaries.

The girl was wearing a Followers of the Apocalypse lab coat. The group also traveled with two heavily loaded pack Brahmin.

All in all he expected he could kill them all fairly easily if it came down to it, once he got his strength back that is.

"Um..." the girl made a sound nervously, as if she knew he was thinking on ways to slaughter them in their sleep. He looked at her and she spoke again, "Could you lift your leg a little please?" He did as she asked and painfully raised his leg. The girl inhaled sharply "Ooooh...Looks like a few bullets didn't go all the way through...I'm going to have to dig them out." She looked at him as if wanting his approval before she continued, he gave her none. She then narrowed her eyes and called back to one of her companions. "Gary, could you get me a few bottles of whiskey?"

"What? A few?" one of the men scoffed "Are you kidding? Were wasting our good whiskey on that peice of Legion trash?"

Vulpes was slightly taken aback. He had forgotten that he was wearing his Legion armor.

"Fine." The girl said through gritted teeth "Ill get it myself..." She then stomped over to one of the Brahmin and pulled a few bottles of whiskey from one of the bags. While she was up she grabbed a few miscellaneous items from the brahmin as well then made her way back over to him.

"Fucking Christ..." he heard one of the men say.

She sighed and handed Vulpes the whiskey and a twisted rag. He took only a small sip of the drink and then placed the rag in his mouth.

"Sorry if-...when this hurts. Ill try to make it quick." she said.

He almost laughed, he had heard many Legionaries say roughly the same thing to innocent slave girls.

She then took a pair of long metal tweezers and began extracting the bullets.

By the time she was finished the wounded Legionnaire was sweating but silent. In fact, he barely made any noise at all through the whole procedure. She assumed he had passed out.

"Okay, you fixed him up...can we go now?" the man known as Jose asked, obviously annoyed.

"Oh my God!" she turned and yelled "No, no we cant fucking go! Trust me...I will tell you when we can go!" She then turned back to see the Legionary staring right at her.

"Oh shit!" she gasped "I mean...sorry you startled me."

Vulpes stared blankly at her.

"Um...Next Ill need to clean your wounds and bandage you up...Jose start a fire and...Robert you start making dinner." she commanded then men. It was somewhat amusing.

"What? Were making camp here? Were already behind schedule because of this bastard and now your making us set up camp in the middle of nowhere just so we can hold his hand through the night?" Jose spat.

If the time did indeed come for Vulpes to kill them all, he would enjoy this mans death the most.

"Fine." she said cooly "you can leave him-"

Vulpes was not surprised, maybe he could follow them, kill them in their sleep, take their supplies, and find a safe place to recover...but his thoughts were cut short by the girls next defiant words.

"but youll have to leave me too." She then began laying out her medical supplies. "You show up to the fort without me and see how much money you get payed."

"You wouldn't dare..." Gary glared at her.

"Try me." she said, still focused on her task. "You could always pick me up and drag me along...but Id run away. Youll all be distracted with something eventually. Molerats, geckos, cazedors...something."

The group was quiet. Finally the men looked at each other and sighed before finaly begining the tasks she had appointed them earlier. Each mumbling their own collections of obscene rants.

"That was good." Vulpes finnaly said.

The girl glanced up at him before returning to her task. "So you can speak...I was beginning to wonder."

"You had them in the palm of your hand." he resumed, ignoring her remark.

She chuckled a bit "You think so?"

"You saw it yourself..." he replied. "Tell me though, would you have really seperated with your companions rather than abandon me?" Vulpes found himself curious for an answer.

"I don't know...Maybe..." she said casually. She then looked lost in thought for a moment and continued. "I guess fate led me to you for some reason...I couldn't very well just walk away could I?"

Vupes looked at her in mild disbelief "People turn their backs on their fellows all the time. I don't know you. You have no binding reason to help me."

"No logical reason maybe..." she answered. She then poured some whiskey on a rag and began to clean his wounds. "Sorry if I hurt you..." she said before touching the rag to his skin. It burned, but it was tolerable.

"I think their is a reason for everything," she continued as she cleaned him "I mean, the Mojave is huge, but you just happened to collapse on a rock, that just happened to be in the path of a group of travelers, that just happen to have someone with not only the medical know-how to heal you but also the will to waste that kind of effort on a complete stranger? I dont know about you, but I think all those occurrences are way to specific for this to be just one big coincidence."

Vulpes almost smerked. "And it doesnt bother you that I am a man of the Legion? Or is that part of some divine plan too?"

She laughed "Heh, , I wouldn't be a very good doctor if I only treated those who's philosophy's I agreed with." With that she finished cleaning his wounds and picked up her gauze, she then momentarily froze before looking back at him nervously.

"Um...You'll have to take that off so I can get to the wounds on your side..." she said quietly blushing. He wanted to laugh at her. What kind of doctor was shy about seeing a mans body? It wasn't like he was wearing nothing under his armor.

After he removed his armor, before she could begin her work, the man known as Gary approached them. "What?" she said, but her words were met with only a silent glare. He then reached down and grabbed Vulpes machete that he had dropped earlier. "Oh look!" he exclaimed with a bitter smile "Free machete!" he then turned and left, playfully tossing and catching the weapon as he went.

"Ass..." she muttered and glared back at him. She the directed her attention back to Vulpes. "Dont worry...I'll get it back to you before we leave."

She would give him back his weapon? Why? Was she stupid?

The girl then began awkwardly bandaging him, resulting in an the occasional odd hugging position. He finally figured out what the soft sensation on his face was earlier. It was her skin.

She was soft, not like the bony, calloused slave girls he was used to coming in contact with. He found himself almost liking the feeling of her touch. He recalled his first inpressions of her and decided it wasnt just the heat affecting his brain, she was indeed attractive. She wasn't the divine being he first thought she was, but she would have fetched a good slave price.

"Uh..." she said interupting his thoughts "Ill have to get your leg..."

He immediately noticed the problem. Several of his leg wounds were on his inner thigh, if him taking off his armor made her nervous, than this surely would. He raised his leg slightly and she began bandaging his leg, blushing all the while. By chance he glanced over and saw the man who had taken his machete was glaring at them. Vulpes then made the realization, the man was in love with her. He then deliberately threw a wicked smirk at the man, who looked like he was about to come over there and punch him. He probably would have if they hadnt been interrupted by the declaration of another man.

"Dinners ready!"

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Thank you for reading this. I enjoyed writing it more than any other fic Ive ever written. I hope you enjoy it and keep reading!


	3. Chapter 2

Thank you for reading this far. I really appreciate it!

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"Here you go." The girl said as she handed Vulpes a plate with a brahmin steak on it.

"What?" Gary shouted, "You said that was for you!"

"Uh yeah..." she said, as if the answer were obvious "You would have poisoned it if I said it was for him."

Gary stood up and pointed at Vulpes, "Damn right we would have! That guys Legion! He's scum! He'll probably try and slit our throat's in our sleep!"

The man was smarter than Vulpes had first thought.

"Not if you do your job and keep watch." she shot back coolly.

Gary gritted his teeth. "Fine!" he said "But if he rapes you in your sleep don't come crying to me!' he then proceeded to violently slice and consume his dinner.

The girl sighed and turned her attention back to Vulpes. "Do you think you can eat this?" she asked "I mean how many days have you been without food? I can find something else if you..."

"Its fine." he interrupted her.

"Oh, okay." the girl replied. She then sat down and produced a mutfruit from her bag and began eating it. "My names Mary by the way. You know, like in the Bible...Oh, no wait, you probably don't know...Umm...well..." she trailed off nervously, "So whats your name?" the girl finally asked.

"Vulpes Inculta." he replied flatly. He almost gave her a false name but decided it wasn't worth the trouble, after all she already knew he was Legion. Besides the names of Caesars top agents weren't exactly common knowledge so there was very little chance of her recognizing it.

"Vulpes Inculta..." she repeated to herself. "I like that name. I wish mine were something cool like that." She then made a slight chuckle "When people hear my name they usually say 'As in 'The Virgin Mary'?' If they even realize its from the Bible, that is...But most Followers do."

He continued to eat silently.

"...Do you know what the Followers of the Apocalypse are?" she finally asked. It seemed she was desperate to make conversation.

"Yes." he replied.

"Oh...Well my father was a Follower." she continued awkwardly "My mother was a merchant, a good one. It was...an interesting upbringing."

He gave her no reply.

Mary stared at her feet looking somewhat hurt. "Well, fuck!" she finally said giving a foot a firm stomp. "What do Legionaries like to talk about?" He glanced at her but still gave no reply. He knew enough about the Followers to know that most likely any conversation they had would lead to her trying to show him the 'error of his ways' and he was in absolutely no mood to argue his beliefs with some naive child.

" ...Fine," she said in a frustrated tone "I get it...this is probably hard for you." Vulpes looked at her intrigued. Where was she going with this? "I mean, you spend your whole life being taught that women are inferior to you and now you are being saved by one...You must be very confused right now...wondering if all you've ever been taught has been a lie. If your not wondering that then your probably wondering how you must measure up as a Legionary or even as a man. You know, since you've been saved by a weak little woman." she then flashed a wicked smirk at him.

Normally, had a woman spoken to him like that, he would teach her a lesson. Though given the circumstances it was almost...humorous.

"...If I didn't know any better Id say you are trying to bait me." he said smirking slightly back at her.

"You noticed?" she asked before taking a bite out of her mutfruit.

"Id be a fool not to." he replied. He was the head of Caesars Frumantarii after all. It was his job to manipulate people, he certainly had to know how to read them.

"But I got an answer out of you didn't I? So that means I win." she said and laughed. He had to admit, she certainly wasnt what he expected of a Follower.

Vulpes lay propped up against his rock watching the stars. The girl had fallen asleep next to him some time ago. When asked by her companions why she laid her bedroll beside the Legionary she told them she feared they would try and kill him while she slept, if she slept beside him than he could wake her easily if they made an attempt. He glanced down and examined the sleeping girl. Her skin was pale and soft, she obviously had never done any kind of field work or battle training. Her skin was not even blistered like most citizens of the Mojave. As a Follower she most likely spent her life in study. She had a kind of beauty not commonly found in these times. That, accompanied with her Followers knowledge, would make her worth quite a few caps in the Legion. She could most likely even make it as an officers wife.

Suddenly he found his thoughts interupted by the sound of one of the other men clearing his throught. Vulpes glared up at the man. It was Gary, the man with the obvious infatuation with the girl, he and one other man were keeping watch by the campfire.

"Don't even think about it Legion," he said pointing his knife and glaring at Vulpes "Touch her and cut our your entrails and strangle you with them."

Vulpes smirked. "Jealous are we?" he asked in a smug tone. "What? Angry it wasn't **_your_** groin she was bandaging earlier?"

"Why you son-of-a-" Gary said and leaped up. He started to make his way towards him until the other man stopped him.

"Don't do it man. Hes just fucking with you...its not worth it!" the other man said as he grabbed Gary's arms.

"...Fine!" he said after a few seconds of contemplation. He then walked away from the group, lit up a cigarette and stared silently into the night sky.


	4. Chapter 3

Thanks to everyone who's reading! I cant tell you how happy it makes me to see that someone reviewed, or added it to their alerts. Anyways, enjoy!

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When Vulpes awoke the next day, everyone else was already up. This startled him a bit, he wasn't usually a heavy sleeper. One couldn't sleep very heavily in the Legion and expect to survive. He must have been in worse shape than he had first thought. He noticed the girl was not in her bedroll, and casually wondered where she had gone. His question was almost immediately answered by hushed shouts coming from the other side of the rock.

"I swear on all that is good and holy, you are the most infuriating woman theirs ever been!" he heard a mans voice say. After a moment he identified it as Gary's.

"Look, whats done is done." he heard the girl reply. "I'm not changing my mind, so you might as well make peace with it. It would be easier on all of us..."

"It would be easier on all of us if you let me put a bullet in his-"

"Oh, shit!" she interrupted him, noticing Vulpes was awake.

"Wha-fuck!" he added as he turned around. He then quickly tried to hide the fact that he had been startled.

"Vulpes," she finally said nervously. "I didn't realize you were awake."

"I noticed." he said flatly. He then noticed the other men packing up the camp. "Your leaving?" he asked casually.

"Yeah..." she answered, looking as if she had forgotten a speech she was supposed to give. "You see, we are taking all these supplies to Freeside. Its very important that we get them there as soon as possible...and we're already a day behind schedule because of our little stop...but don't worry!" she added, (even though he didn't seem very worried at all to her) "I've got a plan." She then rushed over to one of the pack brahmin and pulled something from one of the bags and placed it behind her back so he could not see it. "Your wounds are healing nicely...but leaving you here would have roughly the same result as a bullet to the head." She said upon returning to him. "So, I convinced the others to let you travel with us until you are well enough to make it on your own...how's that sound?" she asked with anticipation.

Vulpes eyes narrowed. Was she serious? Not only had his life been saved in the most unlikely of circumstances, but now he got a free ride to Vegas? Mars must have truly wanted him to succeed. Maybe the girl had been right about their meeting being "fate" all along.

"...What is it you have behind your back?" he finally asked.

"Oh, yeah!" she exclaimed. She had been so eager for an answer she had forgotten all about what was behind her.

"Tuh-dah!" she said as she brought forward a set of pre-war clothing. "We cant have you walking around with us in that Legion armor..." she chuckled "...and none of the guys wanted to lend you their extra armor so this is your disguise."

Vulpes hesitated for a moment but then decided to take the clothing. He would have had to change out of his uniform before he went into The Strip anyway. Though he wished they had given him something a bit...nicer.

Vulpes limped along quickly on his crutch, keeping up with the rest of the group. It was humiliating for degenerates to see a Legionary in this condition. He thought of killing them later just for the principle of it. He glanced over and saw the girl, Mary, talking to the man known as Robert.

They were talking quietly but he was able to make out some of their conversation.

"...not to fond of the idea...could kill us in our sleep...seen what his kind do to people...what he'd 'uv done to us in that situation..." he heard the man say. After he finished the girl laughed a little and replied, "Look at it this way...If we didn't help him we'd be no better than he is. By helping him we get to keep our smug sense of superiority we've grown so accustomed to."

Was she being serious? Vulpes wondered.

Robert laughed a bit before stopping suddenly and running to the front of the group. He held his hand up, signaling for the others to stop. "What is it?" one of the men asked.

"We're getting close to Fiend country..." Robert said in a grim tone. "Stay quiet and alert, and we should be fine."

Vulpes wondered how the man even knew they were in "Fiend country". He then noticed the girl making her way towards him. "Hi." she whispered with a slight smile. "How are you holding up?

"Im fine." he said firmly. It angered him to be talked to like a child, he was the head of the Frumantarri for Caesars sake!

"Are you sure?" she asked again, obviously not taking the hint. "If you get tired or you start hurting I could get one of the guys to help-"

"I said I'm fine." he interrupted her.

"Oh..." The party then ventured on. They walked for a while in silence before she spoke to him again. "I'm so glad we've got someone like Robert with us." She tilted her head towards him, confirming whom she was speaking of. "-Really hates Fiends..." she continued "We're not sure why though...we don't really talk about it. I think we all figure he hates them for the kind of reason people don't like to talk about."

Vulpes looked at the front towards the man. He was older, probably in his mid 40's. He was tan and scars decorated his face. His eyes had a coldness to them, like he'd been through things that would have broken most people, but instead of breaking him, gave him new purpose. If Vulpes found himself killing the group, he would have to be most careful of that one.

The party continued in silence for a few hours with no interuption. The sun was getting close to setting, they would have to make camp soon. Robert heard the others muttering about how lucky they were to have not run into any Fiends.

Something about all this made him uneasy. He had been killing Fiends for a long time and had never known them to pass up a caravan full of medical supplies. No sooner than his thoughts sank in, did he see something our of the corner of his eye...

"Get down!" Gary shouted as he ran over and pushed the girl to the ground. "Find some cover!" Vulpes could hear shots being fired all around him. Why did those idiots have to take his weapon?

"Come on!" the girl shouted at him. She was motioning her hand towards a large rock. He quickly limped over to it. "Here..." she said through heavy breaths. She then helped him sit down behind the large natural barrier. "Shit!" she suddenly shouted. Vulpes glanced up in the direction she was looking and saw the man they called Jose pinned down by a Fiend. The Fiend had a knife to the mans throat, Jose was using all the strength he had just to keep it from his neck. Vulpes then heard the sounds of the girl beside him and turned his attention back to her. She had a 10mm pistol aiming towards the pair on the ground. "Goddamn it...have to get closer...might hit Jose..." he heard her mutter. She had barely gotten out from behind the rock when a Fiend wielding a pool stick knocked her on her head. "Ugh..." Vulpes heard her grunt and grab her head in pain. The Fiend then grabbed her by her hair and proceeded to drag her back to their side.

"Mary!" he heard Gary shout. "Goddamn it, someone get her!" Shots were coming from everywhere, with only two of them picking off Fiends the group was barely holding their own.

Suddenly Vulpes noticed a gleam of silver on the ground, it was Mary's gun. She must have dropped it in the confusion, he thought as he crawled towards the gun. He quickly lined up the Fiend, who was pinning Jose down, in is sights and fired. Jose froze as he saw the Fiends head snap to the side and collapse upon him. He then looked over in time to see Vulpes sliding him the gun.

Though it seemed like hours, the battle was over in a matter of minutes. Almost immediately after the sounds of gunfire stopped, Vulpes heard the sound of boots stomping towards him.

"You peice of Legion shit!" Gary shouted as he kicked him in the ribs. "You just sat there and let them take her!"

Before he could respond Jose stepped between the two. "Cool it Gary." he demanded. "He saved my life back there, he's...ok."

"Ok? Ok!" Gary shouted. He then grabbed his head and mumbled in a distraught tone. "Oh my God! We don't know where she is, where they've taken her...what their doing to her! Graaah!"

"Calm down son..." Robert said causaly. "Looks like your lady's doing just fine."

With that they all looked towards Roberts line of sight. Sure enough there was Mary, slowly making their way towards them.

"Well I'll be damned..." Jose muttered in awe.

"Oh my God! Shes okay! She's...she's...is that blood?" Gary said before starting to sprint towards her. She then held her hand up in protest. "I'm fine, I'm fine..." She shouted. "Just give me a second."


	5. Chapter 4

Thanks so much for reading! This ones kind of short but don't worry I should have the next one out soon. By the way "Mar" (pronounced like Mare) is short for "Mary", just so you don't think I got lazy and forgot the y.

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"Oh my God! What happened? Why are you covered in blood? How did you get away?" Gary quckly fired his questions.

"Calm down son, let the girl get her bearings." Robert said as he picked up his assault rifle. "Ima gonna go make sure there aren't any stragglers still out that way." he then motioned his head in the direction the girl came from. "Did 'ya see any on your way out?" he then asked her.

"I-I don't think so...but I wasn't really look-" she stopped suddenly. Her face drained of all its color. Slowly she reached into her mouth. Whatever she had felt, or thought she had she felt, in her mouth the men never found out because she then began to vomit uncontrollably.

"Jesus!" Gary shouted, stepping back in surprise.

"Jose, you come with me to make sure that ways cleared out." Robert commanded. "Gary, you stay here and make sure she, and our...guest, are all alright." The pair then made their way to kill off any remaining fiends.

Vulpes watched as Gary leaned down to speak to the now dry-heaving girl. "Are you alright? Can I get you anything?" he asked.

"Yes..." she replied weakly. "Water." He then scurried away to the pack brahmin in search of her request. While he was gone Vulpes had a chance to study the girls condition more closely. Her hair was tangled and torn and her usually clean white Followers coat was drenched in blood. What had she gotten into? He wondered.

He was so deep in thought he almost didn't notice she was staring at him. Not that she hadn't stared at him before, but this time was...different. All the other times her stares were full of wonder or curiosity, like a baby seeing a shiny object for the first time. This stare was...dark, not empty exactly, but void. He had seen that look before but couldn't quite remember where.

Their joint gaze was soon broken by Gary returning to her with the water she had requested. "Thanks..." she said half heartily and took the bottle. She then proceeded to gather water in her mouth, swish it around, then spit it out. She repeated this process several times until Gary interrupted her focus.

"Looks like Jose and Robert are done..." he said, pointing to them in the distance "Huh...looks like hes carrying something...something big. Is that-Is that a body?"

With that Mary quickly looked up towards the approaching pair. Her eyes then widened and her face again turned white. "Hehe" Gary laughed jokingly, not noticing her panicked state "You don't think hes bringing one back to skin and wear do 'ya?" Something in what he said turned her expression even more sickly.

"Whatcha got there?" Gary asked cheerfully when the pair finally reached the trio.

Robert let out a hearty laugh, Jose however, was notably silent. "What Ive got here" he said as he dropped the body on the ground, "Is a work of art! And I'm guessing little Missy over there is the artist."

The body was that of the fiend that dragged her away just minutes before. His face was contorted in an expression of confusion and agony. All the blood that covered him seemed to originate from a large tear in his neck.

"What tha?" Gary asked in confusion. He then let out a nervous laugh "Whats he talking about Mar?"

"I...bit him." she said quietly.

"You...What?" he replied.

"I bit him." she said again. When she saw that her answer would not satisfy her companions she sighed and continued. "He dragged me away, over there" she gestured in the direction they came from, "He tried to..." she struggled to say the words "He had me pinned down on the side of that big rock, like this" she then walked over to Vulpes and put her arms on either side of him and leaned in, acting out the scenario with her in the part of the Fiend. "Then he tried to force himself on me so while he was getting ready my head was right here, at his neck" She leaned into Vulpes neck. This re-enactment was quiet sensual, he wondered if she chose him to participate on purpose. "So I bit him..." she continued "Hard."

"You _bit_ him?" Gary asked in disbelief. "Come on...Look at this guy, something ripped his neck out. Not even your mouth is that big." he tried to joke.

"I..." she said quietly, finally retracting from Vulpes "Never said I let go."

"What?" He asked blankly

"I...He just started pulling away and I never let go...his skin...just started ripping. He must have been so high or panicked he didn't realize how much worse he was making it and how much blood he was losing. There was so much other noise...gunfire and screams...none of the others even realized he was dying. He just collapsed on top of me, so I laid there and played dead until the others ran off and the gunfire stopped."

After a moment of silence Robert slapped the girl on the back in approval. "Ha! You made my week Miss, I owe you a drink when we get to Freeside!"

"Hehe..." she forced a laugh "What can I say? I promised mama I'd wait till marriage."

"Ha, yeah" Gary said nervously "The 'virgin Mary's" got to keep her vows."


	6. Chapter 5

Ok so the 'status' of my story's are not changing. For example, it says 0 people have read the last chapter I uploaded of this story. I know that's not true because some people reviewed. Is anyone else having this problem?

But I digress, enjoy the chapter.

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Vulpes sat on his bedroll, taking an occasional bite out of the Muttfruit in his had, but mostly gazing into the Mojave night. The party did not have to travel far from the site of their battle to find a suitable place to make camp. None of them had been seriously hurt but Mary checked them all out before dinner all the same. She had been mostly silent while changing his bandages. He noticed she seemed to be in deep thought but said nothing about it, past experience told him she would tell him whatever she was thinking soon enough. He looked over to the men at the campfire who each had their own bottle of whisky and appeared to be having a small celebration for their victory that day. He usually had no patients for such revelry, but he supposed things could be worse. He could have been saved by a bunch of chemed out fiends mistaking him for some sort of red-tunic wearing God...on second thought...

His thoughts were then interrupted by by the sound of footsteps and a feminine voice.

"Hi" Mary said as she sat down. She then produced her own muttfruit out of her pocket and began picking pieces off.

"Jose told me what you did..." she finaly spoke "I just wanted to say thanks...I mean, I know why you did it, but still...thanks."

Vulpes turned to her, intrigued. "_'Why I did it'_?" he mimicked her. "Why _did_ I do it?"

"Because you were in no condition to fight yourself and if the fiends killed us all you would be next. You could have snuck away...maybe even took a few supplies while the guys were distracted if you were lucky, but the chances of you making it out there alone, in your condition, and with so few supplies would be slim to none. In short, it was the most logical decision." she answered.

He was impressed, she was smarter than he first thought.

"I mean its not that surprising " she continued "the Legion is logical about everything."

"Really?" he asked. "I didnt know you Followers understood the concept of logic."

"Heh. she forced a laugh. "The Followers understand logic, they just don't interpret it the same way the Legion does."

"Oh? And how _does _the Legion interpret logic? I was under the impression that logic was logic." he said somewhat bitterly.

Mary sighed and began to speak. "If you want a fast growing, unquestioning, military society then silencing women, using them for breeding and labor, and training the men to only know how to be solders, like the Legion does, is the most logical approach. If you want to help the weak, sick, elderly, live peacefully, and treat everyone as equals then the Followers approach is most logical."

"Only the Legions methods acctualy work." he corrected her.

"Haha yeah..." she laughed, sounding bitterly amused. "If the Followers weren't such pacifists they would get more accomplished, I know that..."

"Then why bother staying and fighting for a cause you know is lost? The Legions method works, you, unlike most degenerates, see this." His words were a mixture of both a statement and a question.

"Because I cant ignore human suffering..." she said looking down. "I...admire the Legions views of 'survival of the fittest', sometimes I wish I could see things with such an...animalistic simplicity, but I just cant. I see peoples faces...their suffering, their hurt. When the Followers help them its like their reborn. It gives them new hope. I cant take that away from them."

"And how many of those the Followers _'help' _go right back to the same vices you tried to save them from?" Vulpes asked.

"To many..." she answered as she gazed into the night sky. She then turned towards him and looked straight into his eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

"You have never bothered asking my permission before speaking any times prior to this." he simply stated. She then blushed and continued. "I...was wondering, how does it...I mean, you know how it is when you..." she stammered as she tried to find the words for her question. She finally sighed and decide to structure her question differently. "That fiend today...I killed him."

"Yes you did." he answered flatly.

"N-no, that wasn't the question, you see I...I've never done anything like that before...killed someone, I mean. I've shot at people...I even hit a few, but they always ran off so I never saw them die or anything. I far as I know they all lived."

"Except today." he interrupted.

"Yes, except today." she shot back harshly. She then took a deep breath and continued. "I feel bad that I had to kill him..."

"You shouldn't." he interrupted her again.

"I know that! And I would kill him again too, I just feel bad for taking a life in general..." He was frustrating her so much and she knew he knew it. "But all that's not the problem...the problem is that I..." She squirmed and fidgeted a bit before continuing. "...Kind of liked it."

A wicked smile formed on Vulpes face as he gazed into her eyes. "Don't look at me like that!" she responded. "I know, I know, I'm a Follower of the Apocalypse, I'm not supposed to feel like this about something like that, but I just..."

"There is nothing to apologise for. There is a righteous pleasure in killing degenerates as lowly as fiends." he told her.

"Fuck..." she said shaking her head and gazing at the earth below. "He just...he had a name, you know? It could have been Bob, or Larry, or, Stephan...anything! And someone gave it to him. Some woman carried him inside her for nine months, gave birth to him, loved and cared for him. When he cried someone fed him, he learned to talk and crawl...he decided what his favorite color was and what foods he liked and didn't like. He had hopes and dreams...and now he has none. Because of me." Her eyes began to fill with tears. "Its so sad that we do this to each other."

"People do it every day." Vupes answered her coldly.

"I know..." she said wiping her eyes. "And I understand it now..._that's _whats so scary about it. I felt a rush when I did it...when I felt the life drain from him. His whole being...a wold of possibility's, hopes and dreams, ended because I said so...I felt like God." She then slowly turned her gaze to him and their eyes met. They looked at each other in silence for several moments. Eventually she opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came out.

"What is it?" He asked her.

"Its...nothing." she replied, breaking their stare. "Thank you for listening to me. I think I'm going to go to sleep now...Goodnight." Later that night Vulpes could swear he heard the sound of soft crying coming from her bedroll.

_'I'm so stupid!'_Mary thought to herself. That Legionnaire, Vulpes, whenever she was around him she felt so full of energy. Whenever he spoke to her it felt like she had bloatflys in her stomach. She looked forward to checking his wounds and changing his bandages everyday because it meant she could touch him and be near him. She had feelings for the Legionary and she hated it. _'He doesn't care for me and he never will, they don't see women that way...There is no future there, its just a crush...I need to snap out of it!'_she scolded herself. Why couldn't she have feelings for any on her other traveling companions? She knew Gary liked her, she heard the other men teasing him about it when they thought she was asleep or not listening.

_'It doesn't matter anyway...'_ she thought as her tears fell silently to her pillow. _'He will be gone soon and we'll never see each other again.'_

But fate had a different plan.


	7. Chapter 6

The days following the attack were mostly uneventful. Gary had stop complaining about the girl's requests since she was taken by the fiends so she and Vulpes found more opportunities to talk. He learned that, while all Followers receive some medical training, she was not proficient in it. Her main focus of study was anthropology and she had been sent, along with all the medical supplies, to try and form better relations with the New Vegas locals. She told him that her desire to help people came from her father who was also a Follower, while her desire to study people came from her mother who was a very successful merchant, due to her ability to read people. He soon began to notice her habits and mannerisms. For instance, she would sometimes randomly sing. Vulpes almost never recognized any of her songs; one in particular she said was called "Amazing Grace". She told him that it had been written long before the Great War by a reformed slaver, and was one of her favorites.

Vulpes left the group quietly one night when the lights of Vegas were only miles away. It was easy to slip away unnoticed after his wounds were healed. He needed to be in and out of Vegas as quickly as possible, after all, he did not know how much longer the Courier would be there and he had a very important delivery to give them.

Some time would pass before Vulpes saw the young Follower again, though he often thought of her. The thought had even crossed his mind to take her with him back to the Fort once his mission was complete, but the feelings he had come to experience in her presence unnerved him for reasons he couldn't understand. After that he usually tried to push thoughts of her from his mind, as he found them to be distractions. He even thought of her a few times when he was with slave girls back at the Fort.

It wasn't until Legate Lanius assumed control of the Legion and commanded his troops to conquer The Strip, however, that he actually saw her again.

The Old Mormon Fort was littered with the bodies of The Followers of the Apocalypse. Upon hearing that they were shamed to have the great Caesar come from their group, Lanius ordered them all killed. Vulpes was relieved to not see Mary among the Followers at the Fort, but quickly pushed it out of his mind and proceeded to kill his share of them.

The siege was going well for the Legion. It was a common sight in the street to see Legionary's killing men and dragging women off to have their way with them before killing them.

Eventually Vulpes heard a familiar voice coming from one of the many disheveled alleyways. As he turned the corner to investigate he saw two Legion Recruits toying with a long haired woman in a lab coat.

"Let me go!" She screamed.

"Ha-ha! Sure!" One of them laughed as he pushed her to the ground. The woman made a groan upon hitting the pavement but quickly began trying to crawl away.

"Not so fast." The other man said, stepping on the hem of her coat and preventing her from crawling any further. "We're not done with you yet…"

Vulpes made a slight sound with his thought, alerting the men to his presence.

"Huh? Oh, ave!" One of them said upon recognizing him.

"What's going on here?" Vulpes asked casually.

"We found this one trying to help a small group escape, we killed most of them but a few got away, leaving her behind." One of them chuckled as he pulled her up by her hair. "The Legate has ordered all of her kind killed." He alluded to the Followers patch on her coat. "But it seemed a shame to kill such a pretty thing…at least until we've had some fun with her." The two men laughed.

"I see…Has anyone else seen her?" Vulpes asked the pair.

"What?" One replied to the odd question. "No…Only us."

"Good…good…" Vulpes muttered softly. "You two should find a place to conduct your _'business'_ and then take her to the Fort. The Legate wants all her kind to be an example to those who disrespect the Legion."

"Yes sir!" They replied and began dragging her off.

Mary was clutching her head in pain. Why did men always feel the need to grab a woman's hair when trying to subdue her? They had just began to drag her out of the alleyway when a loud pop sounded, quickly followed by another. Suddenly her captors went limp and fell to the ground. One of the men had fallen on top of her; she could feel a warm substance flowing from his body and onto hers. It took all her strength to remove him from her. When she was finally free she noticed what had caused the men's sudden collapse. A fresh bullet hole could be seen in the man who was on top of hers head. The other one had taken a shot in the chest and was still twitching. Before she could comprehend what happened she heard the sound of footsteps quickly approaching her. She looked up in time to see the Legionary who had spoken with the two moments ago. He had a dog skin on his head and dark goggles covering his eyes so she could not see his face well, especially in the shaded alleyway. She then looked in terror as she realized he had a 10mm pistol aimed at her. She barely had time to flinch when she heard the click of the trigger and the bang of the gun. She slowly opened her eyes and realized she had not been shot. Instead the body of the Legionary that had been twitching now lay still, with a new bullet hole in its head.

Before either of the pair could respond, they heard the sound of approaching troops.

"Take off your coat." He commanded her.

"W-what?" She asked in confusion.

"Take off your coat if you want to live!" He said sternly.

She quickly shed her coat and tossed it in his direction. Vulpes kicked it out of sight after it landed at his feet. He then placed the gun he used to kill the Legion Recruits back in the hands of the dead man he found it on. He then quickly took the Recruits machetes' and sliced the body of the dead local before placing it back in their hands. To the casual passer by it looked as though the man shot the two Legionary's before succumbing to the wounds they had given him.

"Do you have a gun?" He then asked the girl.

"Yes…" She replied. She then pulled a small 9mm from her pocket and handed it to him.

"Perfect." He muttered.

Suddenly Mary realized she knew the voice coming from under the dog skin hood. She wasn't really paying attention to his voice before; she had been too worried about what the two Legion Recruits were going to do to her.

"Vulpes?" She asked softly.

The man then looked at her, and even though she could not see most of his face, his look was one of reassurance. Suddenly he hushed her. The approaching soldiers weren't far from them now.

He then harshly grabbed her hair and proceeded to drag her out of the alleyway. _"Goddamn it with the hair again!" _She thought.

"We heard shots and thought their might be a battle but I see we were mistaken…What is it you have there Vulpes?" The commanding Centurion of the group asked with smile.

"This one tried to kill me." He replied, pulling Mary's hair. Her resulting grunt of pain caused laughter among several of the men.

"I'm surprised you didn't kill her right away. You have special plans for her?" The Centurion said.

"Something like that" Vulpes replied with a wicked smirk.

After parting ways with the group of Legionaries, Vulpes found some surgical tubing and bound Mary's hands. She was silent most of the time, which surprised Vulpes. Other than times she was sleeping, this was the longest he'd ever heard her be quiet. She acted as a prisoner would act and silently kept her eyes on the ground, she played her part well, especially considering she had not been told to play it at all. He then walked with her as his prisoner towards the Old Mormon Fort. The day was ending and they had to pass by the Fort to get to the camp.

Lanius was in front of the Fort when they passed and engaged Vulpes in conversation. "Did you find yourself a new toy, Vulpes?" The Legate asked.

"Yes my lord." Vulpes responded.

"Look at it." Lanius said gesturing towards the Fort. "Isn't it glorious? The bodies of those who would dare insult the great Caesar decorate it beautifully."

Mary did not know what in Lanius's words made her gaze up at the Fort. She had decided before they had gotten there to avoid looking at it as much as possible, but something in what he said made her look.

The bodies of her fiends and colleagues were a grizzly sight to behold. Some of them were tied to crosses, others were mutilated beyond recognition. Her eyes filled with tears and she felt like she was going to be sick. Suddenly she recognized one of the heads on the spikes.

It was the head of Julie Farkas.

Her head spun quickly into a spiral of grief and nausea, and then everything went black.

* * *

Thank you for reading this chapter! What I said about the guy who wrote Amazing Grace was true...he was, in fact, a former slaver. I just thougt it was interesting and wanted to include it.


	8. Chapter 7

Mary suddenly awoke, the beige roof of a tent her only sight. She quickly sat up but was blinded by intense pain. She held her head and grunted in pain as it throbbed.

"Careful, you'll hurt yourself!" She heard a woman say. She then opened her eyes and turned to see a young African American woman staring intently back at her. The woman then turned and spoke to another girl in the tent. "Go tell him she's awake." She commanded, and the girl scurried off. "What?" Mary asked in confusion. "Where am I?"

"You're in the Legion camp outside of New Vegas. After the city is cleared they plan to move us into a permanent residence there."

"Oh…" She replied. It was all coming back to her; the group she tried to lead to safety, the recruits that captured her, Vulpes saving her, the sight of her comrades remains scattered about the Old Mormon Fort. Vulpes must have brought her here after she passed out.

"Your causing quite a stir around here you know." The woman interrupted her thoughts.

"Me?" She replied with a raised brow. "Why?"

"Because, it's not every day such a high ranking member of the Legion brings in a captive."

"Wha-high ranking…you mean Vulpes?" She asked in disbelief. The more she thought of it though the more it made sense. The recruits and the Centurion they came upon all showed him respect. The head of the Legion even addressed him by name.

"Yes…" The woman replied. She appeared to be a bit taken aback. Mary guessed it was unusual for a captive to know their captors name, let alone speak it so casually. "Captives are usually only brought in by raiding parties. I suppose he took a special liking to you…" The woman looked sad and distant upon speaking her last words. The young Follower found herself wanting to say something comforting to the woman, but before she could think of anything someone else entered the tent. After her eyes adjusted to the flash of light that emerged from the opening of the tent she realized their new visitor was Vulpes. She was glad he wasn't wearing the dog head this time.

"Leave." He said firmly to the woman at her bedside. As she left it occurred to Mary that she never asked the woman her name.

The pair were now alone. After a moment of silence, Mary finally spoke. "So I guess we're sort of even now, huh?" She asked with a weak smile.

"I wouldn't go thanking me just yet." He said flatly and crossed his arms. "Whether you knew it or not, after you found me you took me all the way to my desired destination. I scarcely doubt I can return the favor."

The girl's stomach began to churn as she processed his words. "Oh…So, what are my options? Just slavery?"

"I could sneak you out of the camp but I can't promise you wouldn't just be killed or recaptured by a raiding party. I couldn't give you many supplies for your journey either." He said leaning against a table opposite her.

"Heh…" She forced a laugh. "I could barely take care of one fiend on my own. Trying to make it to NCR territory by myself would be suicide."

"Slavery _is_ an option, of course..." He suggested casually.

Mary then felt the color drain from her face and her body began to shake. She couldn't be a slave, she just couldn't. This could **not** happen to her. What had she done to deserve this? She should have just left those ungrateful refugees in Westside, all they did was get her captured and then abandon her. The tears welled up in her eyes, but before she could let out a sob, Vulpes interrupted her. "-But those aren't your only options."

"What?" She interrupted angrily. "Piss them off enough for them to kill me? Who knows what they might do to me before they decide to too put me out of my misery…." She could barely holding back her tears.

"That's not what I meant, but it's also an option." His cool demeanor angered her. How could he be so calm when her whole world was falling to pieces?

"Then what?" She snapped. "I highly doubt they would let me become a priestess…Besides, even if they offered I wouldn't take it. I'd rather die!" It was becoming increasingly difficult not to scream.

"That wasn't what I was going to suggest, but either way the decision is yours. I risked a lot to repay you, but if you're insistent on becoming a martyr then so be it." He replied in a cold tone. The fear that he would leave her to fend for herself suddenly became very real.

"Wha-no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…I'm sorry." She stuttered nervously. "I'll listen to whatever you have to say."

He studied her for a moment. She looked different than before, more tired. Working in outer Vegas must have taken its toll. He recalled from their time together that her mother was a successful trader, and from what else she told him about her life, he gathered that she had a nice upbringing because of it. The men in her party often teased her about it, much to her dismay. He recalled one instance where Gary had said something about her sheltered and comfortable childhood. She stormed over to her bedroll cursing him under her breath. _"_I_ fucking swear, it's like if you don't grow up in Freeside you're a terrible human being! Just because I didn't have to go through all the shit they have, they think I can't do anything!" _She had even confided in Vulpes that she first felt the need to join the Followers because she felt guilty for having such a good life while so many others were suffering. This impressed Vulpes, although he did not agree with helping the weak, he respected her for giving up her comfortable lifestyle for a cause she deemed worthy. But this was different. If simply working for the Followers had drained her this much, then there was no way she would make it as a slave.

It may have been more merciful to let her die with her comrades. But something other than mercy had driven Vulpes to take her.

After what seemed like an eternity to her, Vulpes finally spoke. "In the Legion, high ranking officers are aloud to take wives. Given your circumstances, it's something to consider."

"Yeah…" She laughed. "I'm sure they will just be lining up to have a shot with me…I'm a real catch." What a silly suggestion. A Legion husband? Her mouth would get her killed before she even walked down the isle.

"…I'm serious." Vulpes replied.

"What?" She raised an eyebrow. "Even if that is the most logical option, I doubt you could find anybody in the Legion who would want to marry me…"

"-You don't think so?" He interrupted. "Your young, physically attractive, fertile, and a virgin, are you not? All these things would be enough for any man of the Legion."

Mary blushed an averted her eyes. "Wha-I mean yes I am a virgin…but I mean, I don't really know for sure if I'm fertile or not…I mean, I don't know anyone in my family who've ever had problems with conceiving but…" It then occurred to her just what she was saying. "Oh my God! This is ridiculous! I can't just marry some random guy I don't know! What if he's mean or…hits me …or really likes guys? I just…-n-no I can't."

The silence that followed seemed like an eternity. Mary focused her eyes on her feet and tried to think of an alternative. Was there nothing else she could do? She was startled when Vulpes broke the silence. In fact she was unsure he had really said the words she thought he said. "…What?" She replied, slowly looking towards him.

"I said, I could marry you." He sighed.

Her mind went blank. Was she dreaming? Had she hit her head on a rock when she fainted, and died? Had the handsome, mysterious Legionnaire that haunted her dreams for the past few months really just offered to marry her?

After a moment of silence, she was finally able to force out some words. "I….I-I don't know how to respond to that." She said dryly.

"I would assume 'yes' or 'no' would be the proper response." He said. He then removed himself from the other side of the tent and approached her. "Well? You saved my life, and although you didn't know it, helped me complete a very important mission for Caesar. I don't have a wife yet and would be expected to take one soon anyway. So 'yes' or 'no'?"

She thought for a moment. Was this really her best option? She wanted to say yes, but was that only because of her crush? She didn't want to sign her whole life away over a simple crush, that would be incredibly stupid. When she could think of no other ways to save her life she answered him.

"…Yes…"

God, she hoped she wouldn't regret this.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading this chapter! It was hard getting it started, but after I got going it was easy to finish. Here's hoping the next chapter will be that easy all the way through!**


	9. Chapter 8

Mary did not pay much attention to the ceremony. Some Latin had been spoken, and that's about all she knew of what went on. She was to busy contemplating her situation. Something about all this didn't sit right with her. Vulpes _did_ owe her his life, but this was an odd payback. In fact, it was strange to her that he paid her back at all. The Legion was notorious for its soldier's loyalty, and all the Followers had been sentenced to death. Even if a personal debt _was _owed, it was strange that he would ignore direct orders from the top, especially since he was a high ranking officer. Was he working some kind of angle? If so, what was it?

Either way the deal was done.

After the ceremony he began leading her to their tent. "This will only be temporary." He told her. "Once Vegas is cleared of degenerates we will take up residence within the city."

She heard his words but her mind was still wondering. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask you…" She muttered, remembering her earlier conversation with the woman in the tent. "What is your rank in the Legion? The woman in the tent implied that it was high."

"I am one of Caesars elite Praetorian guards, and the head of his Frumantarrii."

"Fru-man-tarr-ii…." She sounded the word out slowly. She then searched her mind for the little Latin she knew when suddenly, it came to her. "-Wait, the spies?"

"…Yes." He answered flatly. It looked as if he wanted to tell her more about the Frumantarri but decided it was easiest to leave her with the simplest answer.

This new knowledge unnerved her a bit. He was a trained deceiver, and not only that, but the master of them. How many of their conversations had been lies? Then again, what reason would he have to lie to _her? _All this suspicion was wrecking her nerves.

"By the way," He added. "I think this goes without saying, but you are not to mention your involvement with a certain… humanitarian organization. At least not if you value your life and my efforts to save it."

"Yeah, I know…" She muttered bitterly. Was this what the rest of her life would be? Being talked down too and lying about who she was?

It was then that she noticed something that made her smile in this Hellish place.

"Puppies!" She squealed and she ran towards a pack of playing puppies. When she reached the dogs she was greeted with the confused glare of a Legionary with a Mohawk. "Awwww, can I pet them?" She pleaded as she stared longingly at the baby animals.

"What? Who are you woman!" The man asked, confusion apparent on his face.

She opened her mouth to answer but before she could Vulpes intervened. "Anthony." He began. The other man stood at attention. "This is my…new wife." It looked as if he struggled a bit to say the last two words.

"Your new wife? I wasn't aware you had been given one." The man said.

"Yes…It was a rather recent turn of events." He replied, looking down at Mary who had squatted down to watch the puppies more closely.

"So….Can I pet them or not?" She asked, giving them her best puppy dog face.

Anthony looked at Vulpes questioningly. He sighed and then gave the other man a tired nod.

"Sure." Anthony shrugged. If it didn't bother Vulpes, it didn't bother him.

"Yay!" She exclaimed. She quickly rushed to pet every single puppy she could get her hands on. The dogs barked happily and rushed to return her affection, licking and nipping at her hands. "You're all so happy to have some attention, aren't you?" She asked them playfully.

"These dogs are not for being coddled." Anthony explained. "They are war dogs!"

"So you will teach them to fight?"

"We do not have to _'teach'_ them to fight, they are natural warriors. We simply train them to fight at our will."

"Oh….Well they aren't warriors yet. They are just babies right now." She then picked one of them up and donned her best baby-talk voice. "Yes, right now your just babies that want to be loved and cuddled, yes you are, yes you are! Who's gonna' grow up and maul the faces of off Profligate troops? You are! You are!"

Anthony stared at the girl, mouth agape. He then glanced at Vulpes who shook his head and sighed.

They had both been quiet for the rest of their journey to their new temporary home. Upon entering the tent Vulpes broke the silence. "We need to talk."

"_Well, that's never good."_ She thought.

"About what?" She finally answered.

"Your behavior."

"What about it?"

"As of right now it's very…unbecoming, of a Legion wife."

"Oh, what am I supposed to do? Walk around with my eyes to the ground, never speaking unless spoken too, and producing all the offspring I can before I die?" She said sarcastically.

"Yes." He answered coldly. His tone completely serious.

"What? I was being sarcastic!" She wanted to punch him in the face. Did he honestly think she would spend the rest of her life as a doormat?

"I don't expect you to adjust completely over night, but it would be in your best interests to show progress as soon as possible." He answered.

"Oh, really?" She scoffed. "Or what?"

"Do you really have to ask?" He replied. "What do you _think_ is done to Legion wives who do not obey their husbands? I'll give you a hint; it's the same thing that happens to slaves who don't obey their masters."

"But I haven't disobeyed you about anything!" She snapped back.

"Maybe not, but if you keep running around like you have no discipline I'll be forced to make an example of you."

"So, what? For every time I run off without your say so, you beat me in the middle of the camp?"

"…If that's what it takes, then yes." He said in a-matter-of-fact tone.

Mary tilted her head and stared at him in disbelief. Seeing her melancholy look, Vulpes continued.

"If you don't act as if I'm giving you too much freedom I won't have to take such drastic actions." He explained. "But if everyone sees you running around like you own the place then they will get suspicious if I don't take any action."

She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and twisted her hands into fists. How could she live like this?

"That's enough of that for tonight…" Vulpes said. He then approached her and laid his hand on her shoulder. "It is our wedding night after all."

He hated to admit it, but Vulpes had wanted this since the first time he saw the girl in his half delirious state. She was just so….innocent. Not that he believed anyone in the world to be truly innocent, but she was the closest he'd found in this forsaken wasteland. He remembered some of their nights together, traveling with her group. Him watching her sleep peacefully beside him in her bedroll. She was so trusting. (No doubt after working in Freeside some of that natural trust was gone.) Some nights he had to fight with himself not to take her right then and there, whether she concented or not. How he longed to show her how wicked the world really was. To taint her, to break her…to make her his and only his. But he was no fool, her comrades would notice and he was in no condition to fight, especially over a woman. But all of these points were moot. She was his now.

* * *

_**A/N: Ok so I'm kind of torn on whether or not to include sexy time in the next chapter. I wrote a sex chapter for once for another story but I'm not sure how well I did…I could always make it an optional half chapter (ex. Chapter 8 ½"). Just let me know what you think and I'll do my best. Thanks for reading!**_


	10. Chapter 9

"Oh." Mary said, turning her gaze to the floor and blushing. She had almost forgotten that it was her wedding night. Her stomach churned at the thought. Not because she was disgusted by him (In fact she found him very attractive. She had since she first cleaned the blood off of him in the desert.), she was simply nervous.

What if she was bad at it? Or if he didn't like her body? But before she could get too lost in her anxiety, Vulpes began stroking her arm.

"It will be all right." He whispered softly, as if sensing her turmoil.

"O-ok…" She replied, trying to steady her breathing. His voice was so soothing it almost melted all of her worries away. Slowly his hand began to trace over her collar bone and up to her neck. He massaged her neck and shoulders for a few moments, releasing her tension, and lulling her into into a content daze. He then gently brushed the hair from her face and gazed into her eyes.

"I…think I can do this." She said.

"Good." He replied before pressing his lips to hers. He then slowly slid his tongue into her mouth. She was reluctant at first, having basically no experience in kissing, but she soon found herself grappling his tongue for control. While she was distracted by the wet dance of their tongues, Vulpes planted his hand firmly on her breast and began to massage it gently. He smirked when she gasped in surprise. Then, in one swift motion, he scooped her up bridal style, carried her over to the bed and laid her down. He then straddled her, roughly grabbing at her shirt until he had torn it completely off. He nipped at her neck and rubbed her breasts until a longing moan escaped her lips.

God, she wanted him.

He only stopped their passionate embrace to undress. While he removed his armor she removed the rest of her clothes, throwing them to the ground. She was usually finicky about that sort of thing but at this moment she didn't care.

"_Fuck it." _She thought._ "If they get dirty, they just get dirty." _

She then looked up and their eyes met; his were glazed over, full of a primal lust she had never seen in him before. Fear filled her eyes. He was usually so calm and composed. Was this his true nature?

Then, almost as if sensing her fear pushed him over the edge, he pulled her into a passionate kiss. Mary let out a gasp as he began to work his hand between her legs. She felt a slight pressure followed by a single finger caressing her inner walls.

"Ahhhh…." She purred and arched her back. He had found her spot. Then, just as the pressure inside her began to build, he pulled his finger away. Mary whined pitifully in protest.

She was at his mercy and he loved it.

He repeated this process several times. Teasing her, letting her pleasure build then cruelly taking it away.

He chuckled as she squirmed in ecstasy. He was in complete control.

Eventually, Vulpes could wait no longer; he quickly flipped himself on top of her and positioned himself. He took one last look at her before he entered. She was biting her lip in anticipation. She looked so innocent; he couldn't wait to break her in. He then swiftly entered her and began pumping inside her at a steady pace.

The pain was unlike any she had ever felt before; it traveled like tiny powerful shocks up her body. "V-Vulpes!" She groaned through gritted teeth. "S-stop…I c-cant take it!"

"Yes you can!" He growled fiercely in her ear and quickened his pace.

A shiver ran down her spine. Her pleadings had done nothing to stop him. This terrified her, but strangely enough, thrilled her at the same time. Due to her privileged upbringing she had been given what she wanted when she wanted almost her entire life, but at that moment she was entitled to nothing. She was at his mercy, and as much as it shamed her to admit, she found it exhilarating.

Slowly the pain started to subside and was replaced by waves of pleasure. She moaned as she felt her climax approaching. (Now she understood why the NCR soldiers in Freeside were most excited to visit the "workers" in Gomorrah and The Wrangler.) She heard Vulpes grunt and something warm spill into her. Then suddenly she felt her own release as wave of pleasure bloomed from inside her. She let out satisfied moan before Vulpes collapsed on top of her.

She listened to his breathing, it was quick but controlled. After a moment he withdrew from her and lay on his back at her side. Without thinking Mary rolled over, laid her head on his chest, and wrapped her arm around him. Vulpes jumped slightly at the contact.

"What are you doing?" He asked, bewildered.

"Cuddling…" She answered slowly. "Isn't that what people do after sex?" Her tone was completely serious.

"I…suppose they do." Vulpes replied.

While most men in the Legion did not practice it, he was familiar with the practice of cuddling. He had been on many infiltration missions and had bedded many non-slave women and had held them afterwards. This was different, however. Usually he was the one to initiate the act, not out of affection, but to keep up his ruse. Mary was also unlike the other women he had held. They were easy to manipulate, to coax into bed. They were no innocents, not like her.

Vulpes reluctantly wrapped his arms around her, returning the embrace. He then stroked her hair and inhaled deeply. Despite all she had been through she still smelled nice.

Silently Mary thought of the day. She had been so busy thinking only of survival, that she had avoided anything else that might have drifted into her mind. But in the dim lighted silence inside the tent her mind wandered.

It was her wedding day, and it was nothing like she had ever imagined. There was no music or words of congratulations from friends or family. No pre-war dress her mother had fixed up especially for the occasion. No Followers priest to perform the ceremony. They had no rings, and her father had not given her away. Hell, the marriage was probably not even valid in the eyes of _her_ God.

Her thoughts then fell to her parents. Did they know what had happened to Vegas yet? Did they think she was dead? They certainly wouldn't assume she had married the head of Caesars Frumatarrii. Tears filled her eyes as the reality sunk in that she would almost defiantly never see them again.

Mary kept her face hidden from Vulpes; she did not want him to see her crying. She steadied her breathing and pushed the thoughts away. She couldn't think about all that right now. It was her wedding night and she should be ecstatic to even be alive given the circumstances. She would think about all of that tomorrow, hopefully while no one was around to see her cry. She then focused all her attention to the sound of Vulpes heart beating, and let it lull her to sleep.

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**_A/N: Wow, so many reviews! I can't tell you how happy I am to have gotten so many responses to my story. It took me a little longer than anticipated to finish this chapter just because I didn't want to disappoint anyone. Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will continue reading._**


	11. Chapter 10

Mary awoke the next morning to an empty bed. "Vulpes?" She called, but there was no reply. She let out a tired sigh. He had probably gone off to do Legion business.

The real question was what was _she_ supposed to do? She was sure there was some kind of work other than making babies involved with being a Legion wife.'

She began to arise from the bed but was stopped by a strong ache in her lower abdomen. "Fuck!" She cursed to herself. She then lay back down and slowly stretched her body until the pain faded.

After getting dressed Mary searched the tent for food. She had not realized how hungry she was until she remembered she had not eaten since the Legion began their attack on New Vegas. _"Jesus…No wonder I fainted."_ She thought to herself.

Eventually it became evident that there was no food to be found in the tent so she decided to brave the camp in search of some.(But not before making a mental note to bitch at Vulpes for not leaving her something to eat, or at least instructions on how to get some.) Slowly she peeked her head out of the tent. There were a few Legionaries walking about but most of the camps current population appeared to be slaves. _"The men must be out finishing their conquest of Vegas."_ She theorized. Which was okay with her, the fewer Legionaries she had to explain herself to the better. She then carefully emerged from the tent and made her way to the section of the camp she recalled had tables. Wherever they had tables food couldn't be very far, she figured. A few Legionaries shot her questioning looks along the way but she just tried to walk by confidently. One of the things she learned working in Freeside; if you look lost and confused people will try and take advantage of you, if you look like you know what your doing they will stay the Hell out of your way. Although it was hard to look confidant while a bunch of men in skirts stared lustfully at you.

"_Please don't try to rape me, please don't try to rape me, please don't try to rape me…" _She chanted repeatedly inside her head. But her chant was soon interrupted by the painful cry of an injured Legionary.

"Gah! Damn you woman!" He shouted as cringing slave woman tried to rub powder into his wounds. Mary soon realized the cringing woman was the woman she had awoken to after fainting the day before.

"Um, excuse me…" She interrupted.

"What do you want woman?" The man shouted angrily. "Cant you see we're in the middle of something here?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about…" She began, she then leaned down and examined the man's wounds. "You got these fighting an NCR Ranger?" She asked.

"Yes but what difference does that make?" He exclaimed in frustration.

"Rangers sometimes use these things called incendiary rounds…basically they don't just shoot you, they burn you. See here, how there is no bleeding?" She pointed to a bullet hole in his leg. "That's because the fire sealed it off." Mary then grabbed several of the herbs the woman had laid out and began mixing them. "Here, try this. Its sooths burns and heals them faster." She then gently rubbed the concoction on the man's burns and began to bandage them. The man let out a sigh of relief and then angrily turned to the other woman. "Why did you no know this slave?" He demanded.

"I-I'm sorry my lord!" She then quickly bowed her head.

"It's not her fault…" Mary pleaded. "The only reason I know this is because my father was a doctor." The man then let out a disgusted growl. "Humh. Go make yourself useful at _something _woman!" He demanded.

"Yes my lord!" The woman replied quickly as she motioned for Mary to follow her. "I'm sorry I got you in trouble…" Mary told the woman as soon as they were out of earshot of the Legionary.

"No…" The woman replied, "Trust me, if I had been in trouble you'd know it. My name is Siri, by the way. I don't know if you remember but we met yesterday. I was there when you woke up from your fainting spell."

"Yes I remember." Mary responded. "I didn't realize I'd forgotten to ask your name until you had already left. By the way…do you know where the food is around here?"

"Why yes…I'm surprised no one has shown you already." The woman paused and stared at her for a moment.

"Yeah…Tell me about it." Mary answered nervously. Why was she giving her that look?

It then occurred to her that Legion wives may be in a different social category than slaves. Who did Siri belong to anyway? The whole camp? Was _she_ allowed to order her around? Not that she wanted to…But people might think it strange they were talking so casually with each other. Were they even _allowed_ to talk?

"Sorry!" Siri said quickly once she realized she was staring. "I just-I had heard that you were married to Vulpes Inculta yesterday…"

"…I was." Marry replied.

"Oh! I'm sorry…I just assumed he would have shown you around, that's all."

Mary then thought back on the day before. Had Vulpes shown her around? She remembered walking around the camp and him speaking to her…Though now that she really thought about it she hadn't really been paying much attention at the time.

"Oh…Actually he may have told me, I just might not have been paying much attention…" She responded with embarrassment.

Siri shot her a look of disbelief. Even the newest slaves knew; when a Legionary talks, you listen. Especially if the one talking is as high ranking as Vulpes Inculta.

"Oh…I see…" Siri finally replied. "Come on, I'll show you where we eat."

Mary walked back sluggishly towards the tent. The Legion food had tasted better than she had expected, and with the appetite she had accumulated she quickly over indulged. It wasn't until she heard a familiar voice that she snapped out of her satisfied daze.

"-I'm going to have fun breaking you in!" The voice of the Legionary she had helped earlier that day growled. Quickly she turned around and was horrified by what she saw. The Legionary was roughly dragging a crying young girl to one of the tents. Mary's eyes widened in rage as she opened her mouth to speak, but she was caught off guard by a firm hand grasping her shoulder.

"Vulpes!" She said in surprise. Her new husband had managed to sneak up on her undetected.

"I know what you're thinking," He said calmly. "-don't."

She immediately knew what he was talking about. "But look at that girl!" She exclaimed in a hushed yell. "She can't be more than thirteen!"

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "And what _were_ you planning on doing about it?"

"I.." She paused. What _had_ she planned to do? Shake his finger at him? Give him a stern talking to? She had no authority here but she couldn't just walk away, could she?

"I don't know…" She finally admitted. "But I have to do something!"

"Don't be a fool." He said firmly. "Anything you do will just make him angrier and he will most likely take it out on the girl. Is that what you want?'

She paused and thought for a moment. "…No…" She finally groaned.

"Good. Then let it be. With any luck it will be over quickly for her." Vulpes replied. He then guided her back towards their temporary home.

That night, after she and Vulpes finished consummating their marriage again, Mary drifted into a worried sleep. Her dreams were filled with images of her fellow Followers during the Legions invasion of Vegas. One by one her colleges were nailed to crosses, torn apart, or decapitated. She could see Julie being rapped by two Centurions in the middle of the fort while other Legionary's cheered. She screamed and begged for them to stop but they all ignored her. Why would they not listen? Suddenly she saw the crowd part and a man wearing a dog head stepped forward. He was so familiar to her. Maybe she could talk him into stopping this horror. She ran towards him and begged for him to stop the massacre. Slowly he looked up at her and a smile creped onto his face. Then, without warning, he swiftly brought his machete down on Julie's neck. Mary let out a blood curdling scream as the man kicked her mentors head towards her feet.

Suddenly she found herself sitting upright next to Vulpes. She looked around is confusion. "What happened?" Vulpes asked, his eyes slightly wider than usual.

"What?" She whispered, her thought was sore for some reason.

"I felt you moving in your sleep, then suddenly your screamed and sat upright." He sounded slightly concerned, though it may have just been annoyance.

"I-I did?" She stammered. "Oh…I think I just had a nightmare." Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered her now hazy dream.

"Ah." He said simply. "Well, come here then." Vulpes then pulled her close to him. She was surprised, but didn't feel like trying to analyze his motivations. She just wrapped her arms tightly around her husband, buried her face in his chest, and cried until she fell back to sleep.

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_**A/N: I'm not sure exactly where I want to take this story…I have several ideas but I'm not sure if any of them are the right way to go. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading it!**_


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